Pres. Barack Obama delivered the following statement on the signing of the “Student Aid Bill of Rights” on Tuesday, March 10: “One of the things that’s been uppermost on my mind is how do we make sure that every young person in this country who is willing to put in the effort can afford to go to college. And as part of that overall process we’re going to be talking today about a Student Bill of Rights. This is part of it. It’s an executive action that we’re able to take to streamline and improve the manner in which the federal government interacts with students when it comes to student loans, and it will be part of a broader overview that I talk about while we’re in Atlanta.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper, with state agency partners and the Colorado Department of Transportation, announced the launch of the “Moving Colorado Towards Zero Deaths” initiative. The group unveiled a “No Texting” sign to be placed on Colorado roadways and a 30-second PSA video on the initiative.

Mayor Michael B. Hancock, former Mayor Federico Pena and the Denver Women’s Commission (DWC) held a reception and photo exhibit to celebrate the DWC’s 30th Anniversary during Women’s History month on Wednesday, March 11. The city released a video as part of the #DearMe initiative, working to inspire and empower young girls everywhere. The video features leaders from the Hancock administration answering the question, “What advice would you give your 14 year old self?” To view the video, visit the mayor’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/5280mayor.

Shown above are Tim and Bernadette Marquez, founders of the Denver Scholarship Foundation. The Marquez’ received the LCFC Philanthropist of the Year Award for their contributions to advancing education. Tim Marquez is the founder and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Venoco, Inc. a Denver-based energy company. The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado led by Executive Director, Carlos Martinez is a successful nonprofit organization supporting the needs of Colorado’s Latino community.

The Denver Zoo was reaccredited with ISO 14001 certification and for the first time was awarded the OHSAS 18001 certification. The Denver Zoo is now one of only four zoological institutions in the world, and the first in the western hemisphere, to achieve the highest international distinction for its environmental, health and safety management systems.

“We are extremely proud to be awarded these designations, which were earned by far exceeding the minimum standards of many national entities,” says Denver Zoo Vice President for Design and Campus Management George Pond. “We constantly strive to improve ourselves in all aspects of our operations and hope this demonstrates how much we value the well-being of our employees, guests and volunteers by adopting international best practices.”

Adams State University announced it has received a $30,000 grant from the Daniels Fund to provide Boundless Opportunity Scholarships to non-traditional students. The grant will provide $2,000 to 15 undergraduate students who meet the criteria, according Dr. Michael Mumper, senior vice president for Enrollment Management & Program Development.

“We have many outstanding students with unmet financial need,” Mumper noted. “These will help some of these students cover their educational costs without borrowing so much. We are pleased to partner with the Daniels Fund to offer these Boundless Opportunity Scholarships to deserving ASU students.”

For more information about Boundless Opportunity Scholarships at Adams State University, visit www.adams.edu.